Iris species of the Oncocyclus section are extremely beautiful with their prominently markings, large dark spots on the falls and strongly veined standards. In the USA they're mostly grown in the Southwest, and not much in the Pacific Northwest with its very wet fall, winter, and spring weather. I've grown one species (Iris kirkwoodii) and several hybrids for years under cover, but summer before last I started experimenting with some in an open raised bed. Now 'Cythe' and 'Thor', two of my favorites, are flowering well in the open bed after an unusually warm but typically wet winter. The persistent leaves get rather ragged in winter but new growth is vigorous and healthy. 'Thor' is especially good for a raised bed because it's shorter than other onco hybrids I've seen. Some other hybrids produce very tall stems that can flop over (e.g. 'Theseus'). 'Cythe' is medium tall but very stout. If you have a very well drained spot, dry in summer, I recommend trying some of these beautiful plants. I have some onco species coming along from seed (thanks to Oron Peri and Kurt Vickery!) and may eventually see if they can survive on a large rock garden or this raised bed, which I built mainly to accommodate Tulipa species (also very happy there so far). Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/…